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Thursday, 11 May 2017

Record £400k fine for firm behind 100m nuisance calls

A company behind almost 100 million nuisance calls has been fined a record £400,000 by the UK's data watchdog.

Keurboom Communications received the highest ever fine that the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued to a nuisance calling company.

It matches the size of the fine issued to TalkTalk in September 2016 for failing to protect customers' data after an attack on its systems.

Keurboom broke the law by making 99.5 million automated calls in 18 months to people in the UK, encouraging them to make car accident and PPI compensation claims.

Steve Eckerlsey, the ICO's head of enforcement, said: "Keurboom showed scant regard for the rules, causing upset and distress to people unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of one its 100 million calls.

"The unprecedented scale of its campaign and Keurboom's failure to co-operate with our investigation has resulted in the largest fine issued by the Information Commissioner for nuisance calls."

Keurboom and its director, Gregory Rudd, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an information notice at Luton Magistrates Court in April 2016.

They were fined a total of £2,500 as well as receiving victim surchages of £220, as well as both being told to pay costs of £436.

Keurboom has now been placed in voluntary liquidation.

The ICO stated it was "committed to recovering the fine by working with the liquidator and insolvency practitioners."